Caucus day in Minnesota was Tuesday, Feb. 1. Democrat, Republican, and Legalize Marijuana parties met in order to discuss party news and complete straw polls for governor candidates. The Patriot was personally invited to attend the Republican caucus, which composes the content of this article. 

Republicans from Becker, Santiago, Palmer, Orrock, and Big Lake (precinct 4) gathered at the Becker Intermediate School for their caucus. The meeting began late as many individuals were misdirected by GPS devices to other schools at the Becker campus. 

Former representative Jim Newberger led the proceedings for the night. He started the evening by leading the attendees in the pledge of allegiance and a prayer. 

Sen. Andrew Mathews spoke next, saying that he and the other senate republicans continue to fight the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions. He claimed that most people in the senate, including Democrats, were getting tired of the mask rules, citing meetings he’s had with members of both parties in private areas during which masks were removed. Mathews promised to make removing masks from schools one of his top priorities. He informed the attendees that the Republican party would have to play a lot of defense this year, but that would set the party up for some wins down the road.

Rep. Shane Mekeland also spoke, saying that he was also focused on getting politics out of the schools. He also asked the attendees to say a prayer for a couple from northern MN who were being transferred to a hospital out of state in order to receive COVID-19 care, a transportation which Mekeland helped to facilitate in a story similar to that of a Buffalo man who was transferred out of Minnesota to a Texas hospital.

After the speakers left, Newberger mentioned that the new legislative districts will be announced Feb. 15, and that everyone in attendance would be notified via email about the changes. Finally, Newberger asked for delegates to represent the district at the republican convention later in the year. 

Before the attendees broke into groups for the straw poll, Becker School Board Member Mark Swanson caught the attention of the gathered republicans. He announced that he had decided not to run for reelection on the school board this year, so his seat will be open in the fall. He encouraged anyone with questions to get into contact with him.